English — Future continuous
The future continuous uses will be + the -ing form to describe an action in progress at a specific future moment. Compare the simple future This time tomorrow I'll fly to Rome (fact) with the continuous This time tomorrow I'll be flying to Rome, which frames the action as ongoing.
How it works
Form it with subject + will be + verb-ing. It pins an action to a point in the future and shows it will already be under way: At 8 p.m. we'll be having dinner. It is also common for polite, non-committal enquiries where you avoid asking someone to do something directly: Will you be using the car tonight?
Examples
| Sentence | Use |
|---|---|
| This time tomorrow I'll be flying to Tokyo. | Action in progress at a fixed future point (affirmative) |
| At 9 o'clock she'll be taking the exam. | An event that will already have started by that time |
| We won't be working next Monday — it's a holiday. | Negative: an ongoing action will not be happening |
| Will you be using the car tonight? | Polite enquiry about someone's plans, no request implied |
| Will they be joining us for lunch? | Neutral question about an expected future arrangement |
| Don't call at 7 — I'll be driving home then. | Explaining why you'll be unavailable at that moment |
Good to know
Stative verbs (know, want, believe, own) normally stay in the simple future, so say At noon I'll know the results, not I'll be knowing. Also note the difference in requests: Will you be closing the shop? asks about a plan, while Will you close the shop? asks the person to do it.